In-vivo image acquiring system, in-vivo image processing method, and body-insertable apparatus

ABSTRACT

An in-vivo image acquiring system having a body-insertable apparatus and a processing apparatus. The body-insertable apparatus has an imaging unit which captures images of the inside of the subject, and a transmitting unit which attaches type information to the image information and transmits the image information to the outside of the subject. The processing apparatus has an image processing unit which acquires optical information corresponding to the type information attached to image information to be processed and processes the image information to be processed using an image processing program which corresponds to the acquired optical information. The type information indicates an applied portion of the body-insertable apparatus. The processing apparatus also processes image information corresponding to portions other than the applied portions of the body-insertable apparatus as image information to be processed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2007-226973, filed Aug. 31, 2007, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an in-vivo image acquiring system whichacquires an image of an inside of a subject, an in-vivo image processingmethod, and a body-insertable apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, a swallowable capsule endoscope has been developed in a fieldof endoscope. The capsule endoscope has an imaging function and awireless-transmission function, and has a mechanism such that thecapsule endoscope is swallowed from a mouth of a patient for observingan inside of a body cavity, and successively captures an inside oforgans such as an esophagus, a stomach, and a small intestine due to aperistalsis until naturally excreted (e.g., see Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No. 2003-19111).

Image data captured by the capsule endoscope inside a body issuccessively transmitted to an outside of the body via a wirelesstransmission while the capsule endoscope moves through the body cavity,and then stored in a memory in a receiving apparatus arranged outsidethe body. A doctor or a nurse can have a diagnosis with the image datastored in the memory being displayed on a display.

The capsule endoscope described has a lens and a signal processingfunction which are designed with optical performance corresponding tothe applied area. For example, in the capsule endoscope for a smallintestine, the lens and the signal processing function are designed withthe optical performance where a focus meets at a near point forobserving a wall surface of the small intestine having a small innerdiameter. Further, the capsule endoscope generally captures organs otherthan the applied area of the capsule endoscope, and transmits a hugenumber of images until naturally excreted.

In the conventional capsule endoscope, however, the optical performanceis designed corresponding to the applied area, and the appropriateoptical performance is not guaranteed for organs other than the appliedarea. Images of the organs other than the applied area are captured notproperly enough to be able to be examined, and the images cannot be usedfor the examination. Thus, all images but those of the applied area inthe huge number of images captured by the capsule endoscope are wasted.Further, when the images of organs other than the applied area need tobe taken, the subject has to swallow the capsule endoscope which isdesigned with the optical performance to be able to capture the organsto be captured again, and the burden of the subject is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to solve at least above-mentionedproblems.

An in-vivo image acquiring system according to the present inventionincludes a body-insertable apparatus which is introduced inside asubject, and wirelessly transmits image information including capturedimages of an inside of the subject to an outside, and a processingapparatus which processes the image information wirelessly transmittedfrom the body-insertable apparatus, and the body-insertable apparatusincluding an imaging unit which captures images of the inside of thesubject, and a transmitting unit which attaches type information whichcorresponds to optical information in the imaging unit to the imageinformation including the images captured by the imaging unit, andtransmits the image information, and the processing apparatus includinga storage unit which stores combinations of each piece of the opticalinformation corresponding to each piece of type information, and imageprocessing programs corresponding to each piece of the opticalinformation, and an image processing unit which acquires the opticalinformation corresponding to the type information which is attached tothe image information to be processed from the optical informationstored in the storage unit, and processes the image information to beprocessed using the image processing program, of the image processingprograms stored in the storage unit, that corresponds to the acquiredoptical information.

Further, an in-vivo image processing method according to the presentinvention is for processing image information including the images ofthe inside of the subject which are wirelessly transmitted from thebody-insertable apparatus introduced inside the subject. The methodincludes the steps of capturing the images of the inside of the subjectby the imaging unit in the body-insertable apparatus, transmitting theimage information to which the type information corresponding to theoptical information in the imaging unit is attached from thebody-insertable apparatus, receiving the image information transmittedfrom the body-insertable apparatus, and acquiring the opticalinformation corresponding to the type information attached to the imageinformation to be processed from the received image information, andprocessing image information to be processed using the image processingprogram corresponding to the acquired optical information.

Further, a body-insertable apparatus which is introduced inside asubject, and wirelessly transmits image information including capturedimages of an inside of the subject to an outside includes an imagingunit which captures images of the inside of the subject, and atransmitting unit which attaches type information which corresponds tooptical information in the imaging unit to the image informationincluding the images captured by the imaging unit, and transmits theimage information.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of this inventionwill be better understood by reading the following detailed descriptionof presently preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an overall configuration of an in-vivoimage acquiring system according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a configuration of a capsule endoscopeshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an image signal transmitted from thecapsule endoscope shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a configuration of a processing apparatusshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a optical-information-set stored in astorage unit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a image-processing-program set storedin the storage unit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an image processing of aprocessing apparatus shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of an image processingprocedure performed by an image processing unit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the image processingprocedure performed by the image processing unit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the image processingprocedure performed by the image processing unit shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a configuration of a receiving apparatusshown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of a wireless-transmission in-vivo image acquiringsystem and a body-inserting apparatus of the present invention (referredto below simply as “embodiments”) are described with reference to thedrawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.Further, same numerals are attached to identical components.

[Configuration of In-Vivo Image Acquiring System]

The embodiment of the present invention is described. FIG. 1 is aschematic diagram of an overall configuration of an in-vivo imageacquiring system according to an embodiment. The in-vivo image acquiringsystem employs a monocular capsule endoscope as an example of abody-inserting apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless in-vivo imageacquiring system includes a capsule endoscope 2 which is introducedinside a subject 1 and captures intracelomic images, and wirelesslytransmits data such as an image signal to a receiving apparatus 3, areceiving apparatus which receives the data of the intracelomic imageswirelessly transmitted from the capsule endoscope 2, a processingapparatus 4 which displays the intracelomic images based on the imagesignal received by the receiving apparatus 3, and a portable storagemedium 5 used for transferring data between the receiving apparatus 3and the processing apparatus 4.

Further, the receiving apparatus 3 includes a wireless-transmission unit3 a which includes plural receiving antennas A1 to An attached to anouter surface of the subject 1, and a main receiving unit 3 b whichprocesses a wireless-transmission signal received via the pluralreceiving antennas A1 to An and performs other processes. Those unitsare detachably connected with the receiving apparatus 3 via a connectoror the like. Alternatively, the receiving antennas A1 to An may beattached to, for example, a jacket which can be worn by the subject 1and the subject 1 may wear the jacket so that the receiving antennas areattached to the subject 1. Further, in this case, the receiving antennasA1 to An may be detachably attached to the jacket.

The processing apparatus 4 displays the intracelomic images captured bythe capsule endoscope 2. The processing apparatus 4 may be realized by aworkstation or the like which displays the images based on the dataacquired via the portable storage medium 5. Specifically, the processingapparatus 4 may be realized by a CRT display or an LCD display or thelike which displays the image thereon, or a printer or the like whichoutputs the image on other mediums.

The portable storage medium 5 may be realized by a compact flash(registered trademark) or the like, and detachably attached to the mainreceiving unit 3 b and the processing apparatus 4. The portable storagemedium 5 can output or store information when attached to the mainreceiving unit 3 b and the processing apparatus 4. Specifically, theportable storage medium 5 may be attached to the main receiving unit 3 band while the capsule endoscope 2 moves through the body cavity of thesubject 1, and the portable storage medium 5 stores therein the datatransmitted from the capsule endoscope 2. Further, after the capsuleendoscope 2 is excreted from the subject 1, that is, after the capturingof the inside of the subject 1 is finished, the portable storage medium5 is detached from the main receiving unit 3 b and attached to theprocessing apparatus 4 so that the data may be read out by theprocessing apparatus 4. Since the data is transferred via the portablestorage medium 5 between the main receiving unit 3 b and the processingapparatus 4, the subject 1 can act freely while the inside of the bodycavity is captured, and the time for transferring the data to theprocessing apparatus 4 can be shortened. Further, data transfer betweenthe main receiving unit 3 b and the processing apparatus 4 may beperformed by other storage apparatuses built into the main receivingunit 3 b and the main receiving unit 3 b may have a wired or wirelessconnection with the processing apparatus 4.

[Configuration of Body-Insertable Apparatus]

A configuration of the capsule endoscope 2 which is an example of thebody-insertable apparatus according to the present invention isdescribed. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of theconfiguration of the capsule endoscope 2. As shown in FIG. 2, thecapsule endoscope 2 includes an imaging unit 22 which captures the bodycavity of the subject 1, and the power unit 26 which supplies power foreach component forming the capsule endoscope 2 inside a capsule-shapedcasing 20. Further, although the imaging unit 22 shown in FIG. 2 ismonocular, the imaging unit 22 may be binocular with plural imagingunits 22.

The capsule-shaped casing 20 includes a transparent dome-shaped frontcover 20 a, and a casing 20 b which is kept watertight with the frontcover 20 a. The capsule-shaped casing 20 is of a size to be swallowed bythe mouth of the subject 1. The front cover 20 a is attached to one endof the casing 20 b. The casing 20 b is made of a colored material whichdoes not transmit light. The casing 20 b contains a control unit 21which controls driving of each component of the capsule endoscope 2 andcontrols input and output of signals of each component, an imaging unit22 which captures an inside of the body cavity, a signal processing unit23 which processes the image captured by the imaging unit 22, a storageunit 24 which stores the information needed for the wirelesstransmission, a communication processing unit 25 which modulates eachsignal to be transmitted to the processing apparatus 4 arranged outsideinto a wireless-transmission signal and demodulates thewireless-transmission signal received via an antenna 25 a, and a powerunit 26 which supplies driving power for each component of the capsuleendoscope 2. The communication processing unit 25 includes the antenna25 a which may be realized by a coiled antenna, and transmits andreceives the wireless-transmission signal to and from the antennaarranged outside.

The imaging unit 22 captures the image of the body cavity of the subject1. Specifically, the imaging unit 22 is realized by an imaging devicesuch as a CCD and CMOS, a light-emitting device such as an LED whichilluminates an imaged field of the imaging device, and a opticalcomponents such as a lens 22 a which forms an image of the reflectedlight which is transmitted from the imaged field to the imaging device.The imaging unit 22 is fixated on an edge of the casing 20 b. Theimaging unit 22 forms the image of the reflected light which is receivedfrom the imaged field via the front cover 20 a, and captures the imageinside the body cavity of the subject 1. The imaging device, thelight-emitting device, and the optical components such as the lens 22 ain the imaging unit 22 have a function and a lens which are designedwith optical performance corresponding to an applied area of the capsuleendoscope 2. For example, when the capsule endoscope is to be used for asmall intestine, the lens and the signal processing function and thelike in the imaging unit 22 are designed with the optical performance tofocus on a point nearby so that the wall surface of the small intestine,which has a small inner diameter, can be captured. Further, when thecapsule endoscope 2 is to be used for a stomach, the lens and the signalprocessing function are designed with optical performance to focus on apoint far from the capsule endoscope 2 compared with the case of thesmall intestine so that the inside of the stomach, which has a largevolume, can be captured.

The capsule endoscope 2 attached type information corresponding to theoptical information to image information including in-vivo images, andtransmits the image information. The imaging unit 22 of the capsuleendoscope 2 is designed with optical performance corresponding to theapplied area of the capsule endoscope 2, and thus each pieces of opticalinformation of the imaging unit 22 differs corresponding to the appliedarea. The capsule endoscope 2 attaches information of the applied areaof the capsule endoscope 2 to the image information as the typeinformation corresponding to the optical information of the imaging unit22 in the capsule endoscope 2, and transmits the image information.

The type information is previously stored in the storage unit 24. Thecontrol unit 21 acquires the type information corresponding to theapplied area of the imaging unit 22 from the storage unit 24, andoutputs the type information to the signal processing unit 23. Thesignal processing unit 23 processes the image captured by the imagingunit 22, and attaches the type information which is output from thecontrol unit 21 to the image signal including the image.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the signal processing unit 23processes an image G1 captured by the imaging unit 22 for every unit ofscan-line data. Further, the signal processing unit 23 appends uniqueinformation Da including information which is identical for the capsuleendoscope 2 to an end of last scan-line data. The unique information Daincludes white-balance information, a serial number of the capsuleendoscope 2, and the like, and further includes the above-described typeinformation. The signal processing unit 23 appends the uniqueinformation Da including the white-balance information, the serialnumber, and the type information to an end of the last scan-line datasimilarly for images G2 to Gn captured by the imaging unit 22.

The communication processing unit 25 wirelessly transmits theinformation generated by the signal processing unit 23 via the antenna25 a. Specifically, the communication processing unit 25 attaches thetype information corresponding to the optical information in the imagingunit 22 to the image information including images captured by theimaging unit 22, and wirelessly transmits the image information to anoutside.

Thus, the capsule endoscope 2 attaches the type information, whichcorresponds to the optical information in the imaging unit 22 of thecapsule endoscope 2 and indicates the applied area of the capsuleendoscope 2, to the image information captured by the imaging unit 22.The information transmitted from the capsule endoscope 2 is received bythe receiving apparatus 3, and stored in the portable storage medium 5.The processing apparatus 4 can acquire the type information with theimage information including the images captured by the capsule endoscope2 by reading the information stored in the portable storage medium 5.

[Configuration of Processing Apparatus]

The processing apparatus 4 shown in FIG. 1 is described with referenceto FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an overall configuration of theprocessing apparatus 4 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, theprocessing apparatus 4 includes a control unit 41, an input unit 42, astorage unit 44, an image processing unit 45, and a display unit 47.Further, the control unit 41 has a connection with database Db whereimage groups Pa, Pb captured by the capsule endoscope 2 are stored infolders Fa, Fb, or the like.

The control unit 41 includes a CPU or the like which has a controllingfunction. The control unit 41 controls operations and procedures of theinput unit 42, the storage unit 44, the image processing unit 45, andthe display unit 47. The input unit 42 is realized by a keyboard toinput various information, or a mouse to point to any location on adisplay screen of the display unit 47. The input unit 42 acquiresvarious information needed for an analysis of the specimen, andinstruction information of an analyzing operation, or the like from anoutside.

The storage unit 44 includes a hard disk, which magnetically storesinformation, and a memory, which loads a variety of programs for aprocess of the processing apparatus 4 from the hard disk andelectrically stores the programs therein when the processing apparatus 4performs the process. The storage unit 44 stores various informationincluding an optical-information set Dr and an image-processing-programset Dp. The storage unit 44 may include an auxiliary storage apparatuswhich can read information stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM,a DVD-ROM, and a PC card.

The imaging unit 22 of the capsule endoscope 2 is designed correspondingto the applied area of the capsule endoscope 2. Thus, each opticalinformation of the imaging unit 22 differs depending on the applied areaof the capsule endoscope 2, i.e., the type of capsule endoscope 2. Asshown in FIG. 5, the storage unit 44 stores a table T1 which showscombinations of optical information corresponding to each type of thecapsule endoscope 2 as an optical-information set Dr. The table T1 showsa magnification ratio of the imaging, a distortion (DT) value, thenumber of pixels, a luminance, an aberration amount for a height of animage, a gamma value, and a spectral sensitivity in the imaging unitcorresponding to each type of the capsule endoscope 2, i.e., eachapplied area of the capsule endoscope 2 such as a small intestine asoptical information. Further, when optical information differs for eachversion of each type of the capsule endoscope 2, the storage unit 44stores each optical information corresponding to each version of eachtype as the optical-information set Dr similarly to the table T1.

The storage unit 44 stores a magnification-ratio-adjusting program whichadjusts a magnification ratio of an image to be processed, a sharpeningprogram which adjusts sharpness of the image to be processed, and aluminance-adjusting program which adjusts luminance of the image to beprocessed, and the like as an image-processing-program set Dp.Specifically, as shown in a table T2 in FIG. 6, the storage unit 44stores the magnification-ratio-adjusting program which adjusts themagnification ratio of the image based on the magnification ratio ofimaging of the imaging unit 22 which has captured the image to beprocessed, the sharpening program which adjusts sharpness of the imagebased on the number of pixels of the imaging unit 22 which has capturedthe image to be processed, and the luminance-adjusting program whichadjusts luminance of the image based on the luminance of the imagingunit 22 which has captured the image to be processed as the imageprocessing programs. Further, the storage unit 44 stores aDT-value-correcting program which corrects the image based on a DT valueof the imaging unit 22 which has captured the image to be processed, anaberration-correcting program which corrects the image based on anaberration amount of the imaging unit 22 which has captured the image tobe processed, a gamma-correcting program which corrects the image basedon a gamma value of the imaging unit 22, and a color-correcting programwhich corrects colors of the image based on spectral sensitivity of theimaging unit 22 which has captured the image to be processed. Thestorage unit 44 may store plural image processing programs as theimage-processing-program set Dp, respectively. As shown in the table T2in FIG. 6, the storage unit 44 may store themagnification-ratio-adjusting programs a1, a2, the DT-value-correctingprograms b1, b2, the sharpening programs c1, c2, the luminance-adjustingprograms d1, d2, the aberration-correcting programs e1, e2, thegamma-correcting programs f1, f2, and the color-correcting programs g1,g2.

The image processing unit 45 includes a process setting unit 46. Theprocess setting unit 46 acquires the optical information correspondingto the type information attached to the image information to beprocessed from the optical information stored in the storage unit 44.Further, the process setting unit 46 sets the image processing program,of the image processing programs stored in the storage unit 44, thatcorresponds to the optical information acquired from the imageprocessing program stored in the storage unit 44 as the image processingprogram to process the image information to be processed. The imageprocessing unit 45 processes the image to be processed using the imageprocessing program which is set by the process setting unit andcorresponds to the optical information of the image information to beprocessed. The image processing unit 45 processes the image informationincluding the images corresponding to portions other than the appliedarea of the capsule endoscope 2 as the image information to beprocessed. The image processing unit 45 processes the image informationto be processed using the magnification-ratio-adjusting program, thesharpening program, the luminance-adjusting program, and the likecorresponding to the optical information such as the magnificationratio, the number of pixels, and the luminance corresponding to the typeinformation of the image information to be processed. The imageprocessing unit 45 acquires the optical information corresponding to thetype information of the images which are captured by the capsuleendoscope 2 and correspond to portions other than the applied area ofthe capsule endoscope 2, and further the image processing unit 45processes the image using the image processing program corresponding tothe optical information so that the images which correspond to portionsother than the applied area and could not be used otherwise as they werecan be used.

The display unit 47 is realized by a CRT display, an LCD display, andthe like. The display unit 47 displays the instruction information, aninstruction result, and the like of the input unit 42. The display unit47 displays the images captured by the capsule endoscope 2 and theimages processed by the image processing unit 45 under the control bythe control unit 41.

[Image Processing Procedure in Processing Apparatus]

The procedure of image processing in the processing apparatus 4 isdescribed with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing eachprocedure of the image processing in the processing apparatus 4 shown inFIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 7, the image processing unit 45 acquires viathe control unit 41 instruction information which is input from theinput unit 42 and which instructs the image processing unit 45 toprocess the image (Step S2). The instruction information includesinformation of the image information to be processed and the contents ofthe process on the image information to be processed, and the like. Theinstruction information instructs the image processing unit 45 toprocess the image information, of the image groups acquired via theportable storage medium 5, which corresponds to a predetermined numberof the images corresponding to portions other than the applied area ofthe capsule endoscope 2. Furthermore, the instruction informationinstructs the image processing unit 45 to process the image information,of image groups Pa, Pb stored in database Db, that corresponds to thepredetermined number of images corresponding to portions other than theapplied area of the capsule endoscope 2 which has captured the imagegroup Pa, Pb. Then, the instruction information instructs the imageprocessing unit 45 to perform the image processing which allows theportion captured in the image which is selected as the image informationto be processed according to the instruction information to be used fora diagnosis. For example, the instruction information selects the imagesinside the stomach observed by the capsule endoscope 2 for observing thesmall intestine as the image information to be processed, and instructsthe image processing unit 45 to process the images so as to allow theimages to be observed as easily as the images captured by the capsuleendoscope 2 for observing the stomach.

The image processing unit 45 acquires the image information to beprocessed according to the instruction information (Step S4). Theprocess setting unit 46 acquires the type information attached to theimage information from the image information to be processed (Step S6).The type information is included in the unique information Da which isappended to the end of the last scan-line data as previously described.The process setting unit 46 acquires the optical information thatcorresponds to the type information of the image information to beprocessed that is acquired from the unique information Da appended tothe end of the last scan-line data at Step 6 (Step 8).

The process setting unit 46 sets the image processing program, of theimage processing programs set by the process setting unit 46, thatcorresponds to the acquired optical information as the image processingprogram to process the image information to be processed (Step S10).

The image processing unit 45 processes the image information to beprocessed using the image processing program set by the process settingunit 46 (Step S12). The display unit outputs and displays the imageprocessed by the image processing unit 45 (Step S14). The control unit41 determines whether the image processed by the image processing unit45 is to be saved based on the instruction information which is inputfrom the input unit 42 (Step S16). For example, when an operator of theprocessing apparatus 4 selects via a mouse a selection field to save theimage on a selection menu where the operator can choose to save theprocessed image, instruction information to save the processed image isinput from the input unit 42 to the control unit 41. Further, when theoperator of the processing apparatus 4 selects via a mouse a selectionfield not to save the image, instruction information not to save theprocessed image is input from the input unit 42 to the control unit 41.

If the control unit 41 determines that the image processed by the imageprocessing unit 45 is not to be saved (Step S16: No), the processingapparatus 4 finishes the image processing. Further, if the control unit41 determines that the image processed by the image processing unit 45is to be saved (Step S16: Yes), the processing apparatus 4 saves theprocessed image in a specified destination to save (Step S18), andfinished the image processing in the processing apparatus 4.

The image processing performed in the image processing unit 45 (StepS12) is described below in a specific manner. Firstly, the imageprocessing where the image processing unit 45 processes the image usingthe magnification-ratio-adjusting program of the image processingprograms shown in FIG. 6 is described as an example with reference toFIG. 8.

The image processing unit 45 acquired view-angle information and LEDlight-emitting amount information of the imaging unit 22 in the capsuleendoscope 2 which has captured the image information to be processedfrom the type information acquired by the process setting unit 46according to the procedure of the magnification-ratio-adjusting program(Step S22).

The image processing unit 45 calculates observation distance in thecapsule endoscope 2 based on the view-angle information and the LEDlight-emitting amount information (Step S24). The view angle is a rangeof the angle for the imaging unit 22 of the capsule endoscope 2 tocapture clear images. The observation distance can be calculated basedon the view angle. Further, in the capsule endoscope 2, the imaging unit22 automatically adjusts light. When the imaged area is too dark as anobject to be captured is far, the imaging unit 22 automaticallyincreases a light-emitting amount of an LED. When the imaged area is toolight as the object to be captured is close, the imaging unit 22automatically decreases the light-emitting amount of the LED. Thus, theimage processing unit 45 can calculate the distance between the objectto be captured and the capsule endoscope 2 based on information of theLED light-emitting amount, specifically, the light-emitting amount ofthe LED at the time when the image information to be processed iscaptured.

The image processing unit 45 calculates the magnification ratio of theimaging unit 22 in the capsule endoscope 2 which has captured the imageto be processed based on the calculated observation distance and thesize of the imaged object in the image information to be processed (StepS26).

The image processing unit 45 determines whether the calculatedmagnification ratio is higher than a predetermined magnification ratiocorresponding to an intended usage (Step S28). When the image processingunit 45 processes an image of the inside of the stomach observed by thecapsule endoscope 2 for observing the small intestine for the image tobe used for the diagnosis, the image processing unit 45 compares thecalculated magnification ratio with the magnification ratio of thecapsule endoscope 2 for observing the stomach. The comparedmagnification ratios may be included in themagnification-ratio-adjusting program, or acquired from theoptical-information set Dr in the storage unit 44.

If the image processing unit 45 determines that the calculatedmagnification ratio is not higher than the predetermined magnificationratio (Step S28: No), i.e., that the calculated magnification ratio islower than the predetermined magnification ratio, the image processingunit 45 magnifies the image to be processed in correspondence with thepredetermined magnification ratio (Step S30). For example, when theimage to be processed is the image of the inside of the stomach capturedby the capsule endoscope 2 for observing the small intestine, and themagnification ratio is lower than the magnification ratio of the capsuleendoscope 2 for observing the inside of the stomach, the imageprocessing unit 45 magnifies the capsule endoscope 2 for observing theinside of the stomach.

On the other hand, if the image processing unit 45 determines that thecalculated magnification ratio is higher than the predeterminedmagnification ratio (Step S28: Yes), the image processing unit 45demagnifies the image to be processed in correspondence with thepredetermined magnification ratio (Step S23).

After the magnification process or the demagnification process, theimage processing unit 45 determines whether there is a following imageto be processed. If the image processing unit 45 determines that thereis the following image to be processed (Step S34: Yes), the imageprocessing unit 45 proceeds to Step S24 and calculates observationdistance on the image to be processed. On the other hand, if the imageprocessing unit 45 determines that there is not the following image tobe processed (Step S34: No), the image processing unit 45 outputs aseries of processed images to the control unit 41 (Step S36), andfinishes the image processing. The series of images processed by theimage processing unit 45 are displayed by the display unit 47, andstored in the database Db and the like via the control unit 41.

A case where the image processing unit 45 processes images using thesharpening program of the image-processing programs shown in FIG. 6 isdescribed with reference to FIG. 9. According to the procedure of thesharpening program, the image processing unit 45 acquires information ofthe number of pixels which indicates the number of pixels of the imagingunit 22 of the capsule endoscope 2 which has captured the image to beprocessed from the type information acquired by the process setting unit46 (Step S42).

The image processing unit 45 determines, based on the acquiredinformation of the number of pixels, whether the number of pixels of theimaging unit 22 of the capsule endoscope 2 which has captured the imageto be processed is smaller than a predetermined number of pixelcorresponding to an intended usage (Step S44). For example, when theimage processing unit 45 processes the image of the inside of thestomach observed by the capsule endoscope 2 for observing the smallintestine for the image to be used for the diagnosis, the imageprocessing unit 45 compares the number of pixels with the number ofpixels of the capsule endoscope 2 for observing the inside of thestomach. The compared number of pixels may be included in the sharpeningprogram, or acquired from the optical-information set Dr stored in thestorage unit 44.

When the image processing unit 45 determines that the number of pixelsof the imaging unit 22 of the capsule endoscope 2 which has captured theimage to be processed is smaller than the predetermined number of pixels(Step 44: Yes), the image processing unit 45 sharpens edges of the imageto be processed by adjusting the sharpness of the image (Step S46). Whenthe image to be processed is an image of the inside of the stomachcaptured by the capsule endoscope 2 for observing the small intestine,and the image is captured with the number of pixels which is smallerthan the number of pixels of the capsule endoscope for observing theinside of the stomach, the image processing unit 45 sharpens the imagein correspondence with the sharpness of the capsule endoscope 2 becausethe edge of the image is unclear compared with the image captured by thecapsule endoscope 2 for observing the inside of the stomach.

On the other hand, when the image processing unit 45 determines that thenumber of pixels of the imaging unit 22 of the capsule endoscope 2 whichhas captured the image to be processed is larger than the predeterminednumber of pixels (Step S44: No), the image processing unit 45 does notsharpen the edge because the sharpness of the image to be processed isclear enough for the intended usage in the diagnosis. Thus, the imageprocessing unit 45 determines the case as “unsharp” (Step S50). When theimage to be processed is the image of the inside of the stomach capturedby the capsule endoscope 2 for observing the small intestine, and theimage is captured with the larger number of pixels than the number ofpixels of the capsule endoscope 2 for observing the inside of thestomach, it is not necessary for the image processing unit 45 to sharpenthe image in correspondence with the sharpness of the capsule endoscope2 for observing the inside of the stomach because the edge of the imageto be processed is no less clear than the image captured by the capsuleendoscope 2 for observing the inside of the stomach.

After the determination process of the sharpening or unsharpening, theimage processing unit 45 determines whether there is a following imageto be processed (Step S52). If the image processing unit 45 determinesthat there is the following image to be processed (Step S52: Yes), theimage processing unit 45 proceeds to Step S44, and performs adetermination process on the number of pixels of the following image tobe processed. On the other hand, if the image processing unit 45determines that there is not the following image to be processed (StepS52: No), the image processing unit 45 outputs the series of processedimages to the control unit 41 (Step S54), and finishes the imageprocessing. The series of images processed by the image processing unit45 are displayed by the display unit 47, and stored in the database Dband the like via the control unit 41.

A care where the image processing unit 45 processes images using theluminance-adjusting program of the image-processing programs shown inFIG. 6 is described as an example with reference to FIG. 10. Accordingto the procedure of the luminance-adjusting program, the imageprocessing unit 45 acquires information related to luminance such as theF-number, the LED light-emitting amount, the LED light-emittingefficiency, and luminance around the lens in the imaging unit 22 of thecapsule endoscope 2 which has captured the image information to beprocessed from the type information acquired by the process setting unit46 (Step S62).

The image processing unit 45 calculates luminance of a central of theimage to be processed based on the F-number, the LED light-emittingamount, the LED light-emitting efficiency, and the luminance around thelens (Step S64). Then, the image processing unit 45 calculates luminanceof a predetermined periphery of the center of the image to be processed(Step S66).

The image processing unit 45 compares the calculated luminance ofcentral with the calculated luminance of periphery to determine whetherthe luminance of center is higher than the luminance of periphery (StepS68). When the image processing unit 45 determines that the luminance ofcenter is higher than the luminance of center (Step S68: Yes), the imageprocessing unit 45 increases a gain of the entire image because theperiphery of the image is darker than the center of the image (Step S70)so that the entire image becomes lighter and can be clearly observed. Onthe other hand, if the image processing unit 45 determines that theluminance of center is lower than the luminance of periphery (Step S68:No), the image processing unit 45 decreases the gain of the entire imagebecause the periphery of the image is lighter than the center of theimage (Step S72) so that the entire image becomes darker and can beclearly observed.

After the process of increasing the gain or decreasing the gain, theimage processing unit 45 determines whether there is the following imageto be processed (Step S74). If the image processing unit 45 determinesthat there is the following image to be processed (Step S74: Yes), theimage processing unit 45 proceeds to Step S62, and acquires informationrelated to luminance of the image to be processed to adjust theluminance. On the other hand, if the image processing unit 45 determinesthat there is not the following image to be processed (Step S74: No),the image processing unit 45 outputs the series of processed images tothe control unit 41 (Step S76), and finishes the image processing. Theseries of images processed by the image processing unit 45 are displayedby the display unit 47, and stored in the database Db and the like viathe control unit 41.

Thus, in the embodiment, the capsule endoscope 2 attaches the typeinformation corresponding to the optical information of the imaging unit22 in the capsule endoscope 2 to each image, and transmits the images.The processing apparatus 4 processes the image to be processed using theimage-processing program corresponding to the optical information of theimaging unit 22 which has captured the image based on the typeinformation attached to the image to be processed. As a result, theprocessing apparatus 4 can process the images which correspond toportions other than the applied area of the capsule endoscope 2, wherebythe images which could not be used as they were can be used for thediagnosis. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the imagescorresponding to portions other than the applied area which have beenwasted conventionally are not wasted and can be used, and a smallernumber of images are wasted. Further, conventionally, the subject has toswallow the capsule endoscope corresponding to the organ to be capturedso that the images corresponding to portions other than the applied areacould be acquired. However, in the present invention, the subject doesnot have to swallow the capsule endoscope again, whereby the subjecttakes less burden.

Further, in the present embodiment, the images corresponding to portionsother than the applied area of the capsule endoscope 2 in the imagesstored in the database Db are processed so that the images can be used.Thus, the images in the database Db can be efficiently used. Forexample, the processing apparatus 4 processes the image of the smallintestine captured by the capsule endoscope 2 for previously observingthe inside of the stomach of the subject so that the images of the smallintestine of the subject currently observed can be compared with theprocessed image. Thus, the previous observation images can be used ashistory information of the subject.

Further, in the present embodiment, of the images captured by thecapsule endoscope 2 for observing the small intestine, the image at theboundary between the small intestine and the large intestine isprocessed in correspondence with the optical information of the capsuleendoscope 2 for observing the large intestine, whereby even the imagecaptured toward the large intestine, where the inner diameter is smallerthan that of the small intestine and the object to be observed is farthan that of a case in the small intestine, can be used for thediagnosis more efficiently.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the image of theinside of the stomach observed by the capsule endoscope for observingthe small intestine is processed as an example. The present invention,however, is not limited to the embodiment. The processing apparatus 4can process the image selecting the image-processing program whichprocesses the image corresponding to portions other than the appliedarea of the capsule endoscope 2 to be used. For example, the image ofthe inside of the large intestine observed by the capsule endoscope 2for observing the small intestine may be processed in correspondencewith the optical information of the capsule endoscope 2 for observingthe large intestine. As a result, according to the present embodiment,most of the images of the enteric cavities which are captured by thecapsule endoscope 2 can be used for diagnosis.

In the present embodiment, as shown in the table T1, when each versionof each type of the capsule endoscope 2 differs corresponding to theoptical information, version information may also be used with the typeinformation. In this case, the capsule endoscope 2 attaches the typeinformation of the imaging unit 22 and the version information of thecapsule endoscope 2 to each piece of image information, and transmitsthe image information. In the processing apparatus 4, the processsetting unit 46 acquires the type information and also versioninformation attached to the image information to be processed, andacquires the optical information corresponding to the acquired typeinformation and the acquired version information with reference to thetable T1, for example. Then, the process setting unit 46 selects theimage-processing program corresponding to the acquired opticalinformation from the image-processing-program set Dp, and sets theimage-processing program as the image program to process the imageinformation to be processed. Thus, in the present embodiment, when theoptical information differs depending on each piece of versioninformation, the type information and the version information may beused for the image processing.

Further, when the different version information is attached depending oneach different optical performance of the imaging unit 22, i.e., whenthe different version information is attached to the different opticalinformation of the imaging unit 22 regardless of the type of the capsuleendoscope 2, the optical information can determined by the versioninformation, and the capsule endoscope 2 does not need to further attachthe type information. Thus, the capsule endoscope 2 attaches only theversion information to the image information, and transmits the imageinformation. In the processing apparatus 4, the storage unit 44 storesthe combinations of the optical information corresponding to the versioninformation of the capsule endoscope 2 as the optical-information setDr, respectively. Then, the process setting unit 46 acquires the versioninformation attached to the image information to be processed, andacquires the optical information corresponding to the acquired versioninformation from the optical-information set Dr. The process settingunit 46 selects the image-processing program corresponding to theacquired optical information from the image-processing-program set Dp,and sets the image-processing program as the image program to processthe image information to be processed. Thus, in the present embodiment,when the optical information can be determined only by the versioninformation, the image processing of the image to be processed may bedetermined only by the version information.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the processingapparatus processes the image stored in the database Db or the imagesacquired via the portable storage medium 5. The present invention,however, is not limited to the case above. For example, the receivingapparatus 3 shown in FIG. 1 may process approximately in real time theimages which are successively transmitted from the capsule endoscope 2approximately real time, and the processed images may be stored in thestorage unit in the receiving apparatus 3 or the portable storage medium5.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the receiving apparatus 3 stores theoptical-information set Dr and the image-processing-program set Dp, inthe main receiving unit 3 b which performs the process on thewireless-transmission signal received via the receiving antennas A1 toAn in the wireless-transmission unit 3 a. The receiving apparatus 3processes the image to be processed corresponding to portions other thanthe applied area of the capsule endoscope 2 using theoptical-information-set Dr and the image-processing-program set Dp sothat the image can be used.

The main receiving unit 3 b is described in detail. As shown in FIG. 11,the main receiving unit 3 b includes a receiving unit 31, a convertingunit 32, a synchronizing-signal detection unit 33, an image processingunit 34, and a storage unit 36. The receiving unit 31 switches anantenna A for receiving the wireless-transmission signal. The receivingunit 31 performs the receiving process to perform demodulation,analog/digital conversion, and the like on the wireless-transmissionsignal received via the switched antenna A, and outputs a signal Sa. Theconverting unit 32 converts the signal Sa which is output from thereceiving unit 31 into a signal Si having a signal format which can beprocessed by the image processing unit 34. The converting unit 32outputs the signal Si at the same timing of a synchronizing signaloutput of the synchronizing-signal detection unit 33. Thesynchronizing-signal detection unit 33 detects each synchronizing signalfrom the signal Sa, and outputs synchronizing-signal information Sdcorresponding to the detected synchronizing signal to the imageprocessing unit.

The image processing unit 34 performs a predetermined process on thesignal Si which is output from the converting unit 32, and outputs imagedata Sf corresponding to a single frame of the image. The storage unit36 stores the optical-information-set Dr and theimage-processing-program set Dp along with the information needed forthe image processing in the receiving apparatus 3.

As shown in FIG. 11, the image processing unit 34 includes the processsetting unit 46. The process setting unit 46 acquires the opticalinformation corresponding to the type information attached to the imageinformation to be processed from the optical information stored in thestorage unit 36. The process setting unit 46 sets the image-processingprogram, of the image-processing programs stored in the storage unit 44,which corresponds to the acquired optical information as theimage-processing program to process the image information to beprocessed. The image processing unit 34 processes the image to beprocessed in approximately real time using the image-processing programcorresponding to the optical information of the image information to beprocessed that is set by the process setting unit. Thus, the image whichcorresponds to portions other than the applied area of the capsuleendoscope 2, and which could not be used as they were can be used.

According to the present invention, the body-insertable apparatusattaches the type information corresponding to the optical informationof the imaging unit of the body-insertable apparatus to the in-vivoimage information, and transmits the image information. The processingapparatus acquires the optical information corresponding to the typeinformation attached to the image information to be processed, andprocesses the image information to be processed using theimage-processing program corresponding to the acquired opticalinformation. The processing apparatus can also process the imageinformation to be processed that corresponds to portions other than theapplied area of the body-insertable apparatus so that the imageinformation to be processed can be used. The image which corresponds toportions other than the applied area and which is captured by thebody-insertable apparatus can be used for the diagnosis. Further, thesubject does not have to swallow the capsule endoscope again.

Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects isnot limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shownand described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventiveconcept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the in-vivo image acquiring system, the in-vivoimage processing method, and the body-insertable apparatus according tothe present invention are useful for acquiring images of organs whichare captured inside the subject, and particularly suitable fordecreasing the number of wasted images of organs since the images oforgans corresponding to portions other than the applied area can be usedfor diagnosis as well as the images of organs of the applied area insidethe subject that can be properly captured by the imaging unit.

1. An in-vivo image acquiring system comprising: a body-insertableapparatus which is introduced into a subject, and wirelessly transmitsimage information including captured images of an inside of the subjectto an outside of the subject; and a processing apparatus which processesthe image information wirelessly transmitted from the body-insertableapparatus, wherein the body-insertable apparatus comprises an imagingunit which captures images of the inside of the subject, and atransmitting unit which attaches type information which corresponds tooptical information in the imaging unit to the image informationincluding the images captured by the imaging unit, and transmits theimage information, and the processing apparatus comprises a storage unitwhich stores therein combinations of each piece of the opticalinformation corresponding to each piece of the type information, andimage processing programs corresponding to each piece of the opticalinformation, and an image processing unit which acquires the opticalinformation corresponding to the type information which is attached tothe image information to be processed from the optical informationstored in the storage unit, and processes the image information to beprocessed using the image processing program, of the image processingprograms stored in the storage unit, which corresponds to the acquiredoptical information, wherein the type information indicates an appliedportion of the body-insertable apparatus, and the image processing unitacquires the optical information corresponding to a portion other thanthe applied portion of the body-insertable apparatus, and processes theimage information corresponding to the portion other than the appliedportion of the body-insertable apparatus as the image information to beprocessed using the image processing program corresponding to theacquired optical information.
 2. The in-vivo image acquiring systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the optical information indicates amagnification ratio of the imaging, a number of pixels, or a luminancein the imaging unit, the image processing program is amagnification-ratio-adjusting program which changes the magnificationratio of the image to be processed, a sharpening program which changessharpness of the image to be processed, or a luminance-adjusting programwhich changes luminance of the image to be processed, and the imageprocessing unit processes the image information to be processed usingthe magnification-ratio-adjusting program, the sharpening program, orthe luminance-adjusting program based on the magnification ratio of theimaging, the number of pixels, or the luminance corresponding to thetype information of the image information to be processed.
 3. An in-vivoimage processing method for processing image information includingimages of an inside of a subject which are wirelessly transmitted from abody-insertable apparatus introduced inside the subject, the in-vivoimage processing method comprising the steps of: capturing the images ofthe inside of the subject by the imaging unit in the body-insertableapparatus; transmitting the image information to which the typeinformation corresponding to the optical information in the imaging unitis attached from the body-insertable apparatus; receiving the imageinformation transmitted from the body-insertable apparatus; andacquiring the optical information corresponding to the type informationattached to the image information to be processed from the receivedimage information, and processing the image information to be processedusing the image processing program corresponding to the acquired opticalinformation, wherein the type information indicates an applied portionof the body-insertable apparatus, the acquiring step includes acquiringthe optical information corresponding to a portion other than theapplied portion of the body-insertable apparatus, and the processingstep includes processing the image information corresponding to theportion other than the applied portion of the body-insertable apparatusas the image information to be processed using the informationprocessing program corresponding to the acquired optical information. 4.The in-vivo image processing method according to claim 3, wherein theoptical information indicates a magnification ratio of the imaging, anumber of pixels, or a luminance in the imaging unit, the imageprocessing program is a magnification-ratio-adjusting program whichchanges the magnification ratio of the image to be processed, asharpening program which changes sharpness of the image to be processed,or a luminance-adjusting program which changes luminance of the image tobe processed, and the processing step includes processing the imageinformation to be processed using the magnification-ratio-adjustingprogram, the sharpening program, or the luminance-adjusting programbased on the magnification ratio of the capturing, the number of pixels,or the luminance corresponding to the type information of the imageinformation to be processed.